


The Scourge of the Federation

by Akisame8



Series: Phoenix [2]
Category: Blake's 7
Genre: Children, Clones, Combustible trees, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Post-Gauda Prime, Telepathy, Uncle Avon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2019-01-06 19:10:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12217137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akisame8/pseuds/Akisame8
Summary: Post-Gauda Prime, Avon tries to recruit Cally's two young clones to the cause—but only if he agrees to join Cally Junior for a discussion at the top of a combustible tree.And so up Avon climbs...





	The Scourge of the Federation

**Author's Note:**

> The word-prompt for this [Horizon fanfic challenge](http://www.blakes7online.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=2211) was "May" and I chose to use it in the verb-form (rather than the month), as in "asking for permission." 
> 
> Also, because of the nature of May Day, I decided to set the story in a tree.

"Zelda, may I speak to your sister?" Avon asked the frowning little girl. "Where is she?"  
  
    Zelda pointed upwards into the tangled, thorny branches of the towering Zircopa tree and a small face identical to hers appeared, peering down at them. The light of Kahn's orange dwarf sun shone through the branches behind her head and gave her messy brown curls an ironic halo.  
  
    Avon heaved an irritated sigh. He had somehow expected this.  
  
    Zelda, standing beside Avon at the foot of the tree, sent the appropriate telepathic message upwards into the dizzying heights of the Zircopa.  
  
     _**Mr. Grumpy wants to speak to you.**_  
  
    Even from the ground, they could see the face of the twin in the tree grow defiant. Zelda then turned and gave Avon (aka Mr. Grumpy) a triumphantly wicked grin. "She says she won't speak to you unless you climb up there with her."  
  
    Avon's eyes widened slightly in alarm which made Zelda delighted.  
    "Are you _afraid?"_ the little girl taunted.  
  
    "No, it's just that I value an unbroken neck." He sighed. "Very well. If these are the terms..." Growling, he carefully hoisted himself up, placing one black booted foot after another onto each ascending branch.  
  
    Watching with incredulity, Zelda finally covered her eyes with one small hand. _**Cally, you are going to be in SO much trouble with Dr. Franton when Mr. Grumpy falls to his death.**_  
  
     _**Nah, he looks like he can do this.**_ High above, Cally folded her arms and sternly awaited her guest to arrive. _**I'm impressed. He hasn't even made a single branch explode yet. Someone must have warned him.**_  
  
    When Avon had finally pulled himself wearily onto the tree limb next to her, she remarked, "Nice work. I knew you'd make it all right."  
  
    "Thank you for your vote of confidence. Your _office_ is not particularly accessible for clients."  
  
    "I just wanted to see how brave you were."  
  
    "Or how mangled I would look at the bottom of the tree." Avon grunted and repositioned himself on his precarious perch, careful not to look down. "Your sister doesn't climb up here with you. That either makes her a coward or very intelligent."  
  
    Cally frowned. "It makes her boring." She glared at him. "You don't like us clones very much, do you?"  
  
    "Quite the contrary. I knew one clone quite well and I liked her very much. That's why I'm here. Also, because we are in need of the rather unique skills both you girls possess."  
  
    "It was one of my aunties who died, wasn't it?" Cally demanded even as her empathic scan of him told her she was correct. She bit her lip, feeling awkward when she sensed his hidden grief. She asked in a quiet voice: "What was she like? The other Cally?"  
  
    Avon looked off toward the silver buildings in the near distance that formed the Auronar Phoenix settlement of Kahn. "She was much more sensible when it came to climbing trees that are known to combust under extreme temperatures. And she was better at keeping her bones intact than my present company."  
  
    "My arm got _better!"_ Cally pouted. "I can _feel_ that you don't want to be here talking to me. I'll bet you don't like kids either."  
  
    "Hard to say. I haven't known many. And I personally have never met a child who was fond of exploding trees, so this is a new experience for me. You actually might have liked a young woman I used to know named Dayna. She liked things that exploded, too."  
  
    "Well, you were a kid too a really, really, _really_ long time ago, right?"  
  
    "So I was led to believe. Does that give me any credibility here?"  
  
    "Dr. Franton told me you want my help fighting the Federation. You wanted to know about Zelda and me and our... _games."_  
  
    He sighed. "I understand the ramifications of having to recruit children with exceptional abilities for our cause—but these are desperate times." He then gave her a peculiar look that was both stern and appraising at the same time. "But I have the greatest faith in Cally's gene stock."  
  
    Cally looked him over with a frown, assessing him. "I'll help you because the Federation killed my people... but I'm not sure that I like _you_ very much."  
  
    "Well now, no one really does. But I will stay out of your way, if you'd prefer. I would not want to incite your wrath, after all. I could end up at the bottom of a tree." His eyes glinted with a wry smile and Cally found herself starting to grin, despite herself. "You'd actually be working with a colleague of mine," he continued. "She's the captain of our ship. Her name is Jenna Stannis."  
  
    Cally's eyes lost focus suddenly. "I... think I _remember_ that name," she said in an odd voice. "My auntie, the other Cally, knew her..."  
  
    Avon drew in a subtle breath. "Remarkable. You have cloned memories. Then... you must remember _me_ as well."  
  
    She fixed him with a hard stare. "Yes. I do. And I _still_ don't like you. Zelda calls you Mr. Grumpy— but what's your real name?"  
  
    "It's Avon. But 'Mr. Grumpy' is also a fair epithet. Shall we now descend carefully from this perilous perch so that you can begin to help the resistance? I have a strange suspicion that the Federation will live in fear of you."  
  
    "Avon," Cally scowled, "you're a very weird person."  
  
    "And so I've also been told many times." He grabbed a branch which promptly started to smolder at his touch. "And please inform me as to how _not_ to blow myself up."  
  
    The future Scourge of the Federation gleefully showed him the way.


End file.
